By Rick Marlatt
Dean, NMSU College of Health, Education and Social Transformation
The College of Health, Education, and Social Transformation at New Mexico State University provides innovative solutions in health sciences, social sciences and educator preparation through cutting-edge academic programming, community-engaged research and dynamic experiential learning. Our graduates are prepared to excel in careers essential to all New Mexico communities, including tribal nations, rural areas in all 33 counties, urban centers up and down the I-25 corridor, and the colonias of the Southwest borderlands.
We serve New Mexico by developing highly qualified practitioners and competent leaders across numerous professions of significant importance to the entire state. Nursing, public health, social work, speech language pathology, athletic training, school psychology, teaching, bilingual leadership, special education services and mental health provision are just some of the careers our graduates pursue. HEST’s college-to-career trajectory features vital knowledge, skills, and dispositions which Aggies accumulate in coursework and activate in practicum experiences.
Thanks to generous support from our state leaders and robust community partnerships, HEST’s talented faculty and staff provide students with formative academic building blocks, clinical placements, career mentors and hands-on internships cultivating career success and sustainability.
In some cases, state support has enabled us to provide paid cooperative education experiences. For instance, the School of Teacher Preparation, Administration and Leadership offers student teachers a stipend of $10,450 to complete their final semester before becoming teachers of record, and teacher residents earn $35,000 for a year-long apprenticeship and strong connections to high-needs districts.
The Legislature’s most recent salary increases assure our state remains highly competitive in attracting the best teacher candidates. In addition, our School of Social Work affords qualifying New Mexico residents a $10,000 paid practicum to help students offset educational costs. The School of Nursing has also leveraged numerous appropriations and industry collaborations to increase program capacity and grow enrollment.
Clinical settings focused on enhancing the overall student experience offer invaluable hands-on training in other departments also, such as Public Health Sciences, Kinesiology, Counseling and Educational Psychology, and Communication Disorders. Similarly, HEST students in Sociology learn how to apply scientific methods in the study of people and institutions, and Borderlands and Ethnic Studies offers students opportunities to explore New Mexico experiences through cultural and historical investigations.
Our students graduate at the top of their fields. They get great jobs. Their service in healthcare, education, and social services creates economic impact, workforce development, community engagement, and social mobility for New Mexico families.
Now is a particularly exciting time for the HEST community. Thanks to the generosity of voters and their determination for a brighter future for our state, renovation and expansion continue for O’Donnell Hall as part of an $18.8 million initiative aimed at growing New Mexico’s allied health workforce and reducing health disparities. The 15,000-square-foot expansion includes state-of-the-art labs, a high-tech anatomy classroom outfitted with Anatomage virtual anatomy tables, and additional research space to enhance multidisciplinary learning and interdepartmental collaboration.
The ground floor will expand two of HEST’s most impactful community-facing units: the Papen-Aprendamos Autism Diagnostic Center and the Edgar R. Garrett Speech and Hearing Center. These centers will join CEP’s Mental Health Clinic and the Glass Family Research Institute for Early Childhood Studies to generate more clinical training for students, more impactful research for faculty, and greater engagement with families and the community. HEST has always been fortunate to have world-class stakeholders committed to a vision of advancing New Mexico’s future, and we will soon be blessed with world-class facilities to make this vision a reality.
HEST students enter the workforce equipped not only with expertise of academic excellence and internship experience, but also a commitment to extension and outreach. The STEM Outreach Center builds a K-16 pipeline for students by engaging schools, educators, families, and community partners to offer accessible out-of-school-time STEM programs to strengthen math and science education. Through partnerships and research involving nearly 7,000 students, 500 educators, and 60 schools to date, the STEM mission ensures accessibility and impact for all New Mexico students.
Our impacts extend through outreach from campus to the community. Since 1984, The Doña Ana County Head Start supports nearly 200 preschool children on five campuses and in 11 classrooms, serving sites across southern New Mexico, including Las Cruces, Berino, Vado and Anthony. In addition to providing life-changing educational experiences in nurturing environments, Head Start children also benefit from free medical and dental care and nutritious meals and snacks. Head Start’s two classrooms on campus join NMSU’s School for Young Children, La Clinical de la Familia, and the Las Cruces Public Schools to form Myrna’s Children’s Village, which offers a variety of program options for infants, toddlers, and preschool children, as well as practicum and research sites for HEST students and faculty.
Rick Marlatt is the dean of the NMSU College of Health, Education and Social Transformation. He may be reached at rmarlatt@nmsu.edu.